Milk

Pronunciation

• enPR: mÄ­lk, IPA: /mɪlk/
• UK IPA: mɪɫk
• Rhymes: -ɪlk

Origin

The noun is from Middle English milk, mylk, melk, mulc, from Old English meolc, meoluc ("milk"), from Proto-Germanic *meluks, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂melǵ-.

The verb is from Old English melcan, from Proto-Germanic *melkaną, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂melǵ-, the same root as the noun. Compare Dutch and German melken, Danish malke, Norwegian mjølke, also Latin mulgeō ("I milk"), Ancient Greek ἀμέλγω (amelgō, "I milk"), Albanian mjel ("to milk"), Russian молозиво, Lithuanian mélžti, Tocharian A mālk-.

Full definition of milk

Noun

1. (uncountable) A white liquid produced by the mammary glands of female mammals to nourish their young. From certain animals, especially cows, it is a common food for humans as a beverage or used to produce various dairy products such as butter, cheese, and yogurt.
1. (US standard of identity) The lacteal secretion, practically free from colostrum, obtained by the complete milking of one or more healthy cows, and including the addition of limited amounts of vitamin A, vitamin D, and other carriers or flavoring ingredients identified as safe and suitable.
2. (countable, informal) An individual serving of milk.Table three ordered three milks. (Formally: The guests at table three ordered three glasses of milk.)
3. (uncountable) A white (or whitish) liquid obtained from a vegetable source such as soy beans, coconuts, almonds, rice, oats. Also called non-dairy milk.
4. The ripe, undischarged spat of an oyster.
5. (uncountable, slang) semen

Derived terms

Related terms

• milch

Verb

1. (transitive) To express milk from (a mammal, especially a cow).The farmer milked his cows.
• ShakespeareI have given suck, and know
  How tender 'tis to love the babe that milks me.
2. (transitive) To draw (milk) from the breasts or udder.to milk wholesome milk from healthy cows
3. (transitive) To express any liquid (from any creature).
4. (transitive, figurative) To make excessive use of (a particular point in speech or writing, etc.); to take advantage of (a situation).When the audience began laughing, the comedian milked the joke for more laughs.
• London SpectatorThey lawyers milk an unfortunate estate as regularly as a dairyman does his stock.